End-of-Year Deadlines
Metaphor-for-Me due Monday, June 26 absolutely latest, but it would be preferable to have it completed by the end of class on Friday if possible, especially if you are going to present it at Night of the Arts, so we have time to revise.
Research paper due Monday, July 3.
For Friday’s test, you should know
the complete definitions of
epic hero (p. 1194)
epic plot (p. 1194)
epic setting (p. 1194)
epic themes (p. 1194)
epic simile (p. 1196)
epithet (p. 1196)
the plot of the following stories
the Cyclops
Circe
the Sirens
Calypso
Odyesseus’s trip to the Land of the Dead
Odyesseus’s homecoming to Ithaca and his first interactions with Eumaeus and Telemachus
how Odyesseus defeats the suitors
the powers and interactions with humans of these gods
Athena
Poseidon
Penelope’s role in the story and her relationship with the suitors
the role of the weaving loom in the story
at least 2 examples of alliteration from the story and the ability to create your own
There will be an extra credit option for which you will need to know the definition of archetype (p. 1996).
You will receive a list of 18 questions and will need to answer 8 of your choice. Each question will require application, analysis, evaluation and/or creation.
Tuesday, June 13
We finished our connections activity in preparation for Friday's test.
We reviewed what a thesis statement and discussed examples thesis statements for each essay option.
Homework for Wednesday: Write a working thesis statement and a possible outline.
Friday, June 9
We discussed research questions using this Google doc.
Students worked on creating their own research question and continued to read.
We began a presentation about new MLA 8th Edition rules. You can access the Prezi here https://docs.google.com/a/lapazschool.org/document/d/1HRoz6xCz-Xqby_4OAVTtXKOkfEY2XCOa06_voPyx33I/edit?usp=sharing Homework due Monday: Complete your research question if you haven't yet. Finish the Odyssey. Memorize a passage from Book 22 or 23. Answer questions LMNOPQRSTU in an email to me titled 9 Books 22-23
LMNOPQRSTU. Finish the handout questions from the Prezi.
Tuesday, June 6
circle of bards
dramatic irony in Book 17
review research assignment
share topics
review checklist and begin
Homework due Wednesday: Read Book 21. Memorize passage.
Monday, June 5
Share memorized passages. Share chosen topics.
Finish Book 11: Tiresias's prophecy on 9 NAME Odyssey guided reading Book 11 Land of the Dead
Analysis of Book 12: Sirens / Charybdis and Scylla / Helios's cattle https://docs.google.com/a/lapazschool.org/document/d/17iO9mXCMDoMjeer_pBPotWOVhkQf3eIkumYF0Tunytc/edit?usp=sharing
Review of Book 16: Telemachus and reunion with Odysseus
Homework due Tuesday: Finish Book 12 chart. Read Book 17 and memorize a passage.
Homework due Monday: Read Book 16. Answer questions A, B, C, D and E in an email to me 9 NAME Book 16 ABCDE. Memorize passage. Decide on the modern topic that you will write about for your research paper.
Wednesday, May 31
We shared our memorizations.
We continued our work on Book 11 Land of the Dead.
We watched Dylan, Felipe, Bernabe and Olivia's video about epithets.
Homework due Friday
Finish reading Book 11. Complete the chart on the Google doc.
Read Book 12. Memorize a three line passage. Answer questions T, U and V in an email to me 9 NAME Book 12 TUV.
Homework due Wednesday: Read lines 1-65. Memorize a 3 line passage.
Friday, May 26
We had a class meeting and shared our memorizations.
Wednesday, May 24
We share our memorized passages. We watched a film version of the Cyclops story and analyzed its main difference from the text. We watched 3 of our classmates' videos.
Homework: Read book 10.
Choose a passage of at least 3 lines to memorize and share with the class.
Answer the question about the epic simile next to the little red symbol. Send that answer in an email to me with 2 images you find of Circe. 9 NAME Circe
Tuesday, May 23
Students finished their videos. We shared our memorized passages.
We looked closely at 2 passages from the Lotus Eaters story and made connections with modern events that could work as an example idea for our research paper. Homework due Wednesday: Finish book 9. Choose a passage of at least 3 lines to memorize and share with the class. Find an image online of the Cyclops that you think accurately interprets the text. You are welcome to create your own image instead. Email me 9 NAME Cyclops image.
Monday, May 22
Students worked on their videos in groups. Homework due Tuesday: Read Book 9, lines 1-55.
choose a passage of at least 3 lines to memorize and share with the class.
Friday, May 19
We shared our memorized passages, added our modern connections to our shared document and received our video assignment for either epic simile, epithet or epic hero to teach the topic to the 8th grade class. The only homework over the weekend is to do your newspaper reading.
Wednesday, May 17
Homework due Thursday: Email me 9 NAME research thoughts 1
Review the 9 Odyssey research assignment document and the
9 Odyssey Modern Connection Possibilities spreadsheet.
If you had to write this research paper now, after just reading Book 1, which Option would you choose and which topic would you choose?
Homework due Friday: Read Book 5, pp. 1206-1209. In an email to me 9 NAME Book 5, do the following:
1) Answer questions B, C and D that are in the margin of the text.
2) Make a list of at least 3 ways the characters, events or themes of this Book can connect to modern life.
3) What is one place where you see figurative language or a stylistic device? What is it and how does it affect you as a reader?
Then, choose a passage of at least 3 lines to memorize and share with the class.
Monday we will read the text and answer all student-created Odyssey background questions and have our mnemonic device performances. Tuesday we will finish our Creation Museum.
Friday, May 5: We had our Spoken Word performance for our families and teachers. We got our first exposure to our new research paper assignment.
Wednesday, May3: We began our Creation Museum.
Tuesday, May 2: We had our in-class Spoken Word performance.
In addition to the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal, here is a list of other newspapers you can consider for the reading assignment: LA Times Chicago Tribune Washington Post San Francisco Chronicle The Guardian
Spoken Word Poems need to be memorized for our presentation with just the class on Tuesday, May 2.
Creations are due at the beginning of the day on Tuesday, May 2.
2 hours of reading from the newspaper every week. Add article titles to the class chart.
Monday, March 13
Half of the class presented their spoken word performances of published poems. Each student was assigned two elements of spoken word to focus on for their feedback.
Friday, March 10
Your spoken word performances are due on Monday unless I specifically and personally gave you an extension. You will have 15 minutes at the beginning of class to practice.
You do NOT need to work on the chart over the weekend.
Email me which poem you want to perform for your practice performance and with whom, if anyone, you will perform. Everyone needs to send me a separate email. 9 NAME practice performance poem choice.
Friday, March 3
We had two classes!
We heard performances of the memorized IOC passages from Sibley, Anastassia, Olivia, Rochelle, Isa, Noah, Luis Felipe, Joan Bernabe.
We discussed how diction creates tone.
We worked on our IOCs essays. They are due on Monday. Email me with any questions. Please use the WhatsApp group only for general group questions. If you have individual questions, email is better for that. Thank you!
Here is the PowerPoint presentation we looked at in class.
We talked in class about sentence starters to help with the analysis of tone. I am working on a document with examples for all elements of the DIDLS chart, but here is the section on diction.
If you need to revise your quote idea map, that is due on Monday.
Thursday, March 2
We had an extra class because Profe Luis was on a field trip.
We watched a spoken word poem called "Beach Bodies" by David Fasanya and Gabriel Barralaga.
Many students performed their IOC passages.
We then had time to work on our IOCs.
Wednesday, March 1
We watched a spoken word poem called "Lost Voices" by Darius Simpson and Scout Bostley.
Camila, Alexa and Dag performed their IOC passages.
We then had time to work on our IOCs.
Tuesday, February 28
We had a class meeting today.
Homework due Wednesday: Email me 9 NAME golden goals Identify at least 2 specific examples that provide evidence that the class is making progress toward our golden goals.
Monday, February 27
We watched a middle schooler perform an anti-bullying poem and we watched Miles Hodges and Carvens Lissaint perform their spoken word duet poem "Strive."
Lionel, Ashley and Melanie performed their IOC passages from Oedipus Rex.
We worked on our IOC using the tools listed below in Friday's wiki entry.
Friday, February 24
We watched 2 spoken word poems from students of Taylor Mali.
We created a museum of our key quote maps and participated in a gallery walk, providing growth mindset feedback for each other.
IOC passages need to be memorized by these dates to be performed in class.
Wednesday, February 22
Here are your IOC passage assignments. You do not need to do anything with them yet. We will talk more about the assignment on Friday. However, you will have to memorize them, so you are welcome to start any time.
priest lines 9-25
Lionel
Oedipus lines 26-37
Ashley and Melanie
Oedipus lines 111-139
None
Oedipus lines 233-249
Camila and Alexa
Teiresias lines 253-264
Dag
Creon lines 354-375
Felipe
Jocasta lines 438-451
Julie and Sibley
Oedipus lines 492-527
Dylan and Billie
Chorus lines 551-565
Joan Bernabé and Luis Felipe
Second Messenger lines 837-869
Olivia (split) Anastassia (split) and Rochelle
Second Messenger lines 871-877
Isa and Jade
Oedipus and Chorus lines 890-908
Noah
In class today, each student was assigned a key quote from Oedipus Rex and, as preparation for the IOC, were asked to completed the following:
Make an idea map with the quote in the middle. Out from the quote, please provide information about
1) Who is speaking? To whom?
2) What is the content? What is the context? What is the effect on the audience?
3) What stylistic devices are used? What are their effects?
4) What is the tone? How do you know?
5) How does it reveal themes of the play?
6) How does it reflect elements of Ancient Greek drama?
7) How does it advance the plot?
1 and 2 are required. You must include at least 4 other elements on your map. Any format is accepted (page, poster, electronic, 3D, etc.)
Complete the idea map for class on Friday.
Homework due Wednesday
Here are your options for the IOC. Please email me a list of your first three choices, numbered 1, 2 and 3 for first, second and third choice. Call the email 9 NAME IOC top 3 choices
Check your ordering work here: A drunk man tells Oedipus that Oedipus’s parents are not his blood parents. Oedipus goes to the oracle to find out about his parents. The oracle tells Oedipus he will murder his father and marry his mother. Oedipus runs away in fear of the oracle’s prophecy. Oedipus fights with a group of men on the road and ends up killing all but one of them.
Thebes finds out that their king, Laius, was murdered. They do not investigate the murder because they are preoccupied with a plague that the Sphinx has placed on the city.
Oedipus solves the Riddle of the Sphinx, saves Thebes from the plague, and is made king.
Oedipus marries Jocasta, the queen and widow of Laius. Years pass. Oedipus and Jocasta have four children. Thebes is hit by a new plague. The citizens of Thebes beg Oedipus, their king, to save them again. Oedipus sends Creon, his brother in law, to the oracle at Delphi to find out what he should do. Creon returns from the oracle with the news that they must seek revenge on the murderer of Laius in order to get rid of the plague. Oedipus decrees that the murdered will be banished if he confesses and killed if he doesn’t. Oedipus asks Teiresias, the blind prophet, to tell him who killed Laius. Teiresias says that Oedipus himself is the murderer. Oedipus accuses Teiresias and Creon of working together to frame him so that Creon can become king.
Jocasta tells Oedipus to not worry about what oracles and prophets say. She tells the story of how an oracle told her and Laius that Laius would be killed by his son and how they gave their baby to a trusted servant to take to a mountain and leave him to die. She says Laius was not killed by his son but by robbers at a place where three roads meet, so the prophecy was wrong.
Oedipus tells the story of how he killed the group of men on the road. He becomes afraid that it was Laius he killed without knowing it.
A messenger arrives from Corinth with the news that Polybus, Oedipus’s father has died.
The messenger tells Oedipus that Oedipus’s parents were not his blood parents. He explains that another shepherd gave him Oedipus as a baby, and he gave him to Oedipus’s parents to adopt.
Jocasta realizes that her husband Oedipus is the son she thought had died. The old shepherd who used to work for Laius arrives, and admits that he was supposed to kill Jocasta’s baby but did not.
Jocasta kills herself. Oedipus finds Jocasta dead, blinds himself and banishes himself from Thebes in order to save the city from the plague.
Creon becomes king.
Monday, February 20
Dylan presented his poster on the word "indignant."
We watched "The Complainers," a spoken word poem by Rudy Francisco, in order to increase our exposure to spoken word before we begin our unit about it next month.
We went over the submitted answers to the question, "What is one line that made no sense to you at all, or was the most confusing? Explain what confuses you." We discussed that not knowing the vocabulary is not a reason to be confused by a line. Look up the words!!!!
We watched the play until the final scene.
Homework: Finish the play and answer at least one of the following questions.
1) What is one line that made no sense to you at all, or was the most confusing? Explain what confuses you.
2) What is one line that stands out to you due to its use of something we have learned about in class. Explain how the line reflects the class content.
Friday, February 17
We watched "Shrinking Women," a spoken word poem by Lily Myers, in order to increase our exposure to spoken word before we begin our unit about it next month.
We used the DIDLS chart to identify the tone in our lines. We did our staged reading of the scene.
Homework due Monday: Read lines 632-735. In an email 9 NAME lines 632-735, answer these questions: 1. What crucial information does the messenger reveal about Oedipus's past? 2. Review lines 664-713. a) Why does Jocasta want him to stop the search? b) What is Oedipus most worried about?
Homework due Friday
Read lines 535-630 Memorize the lines assigned to you in the photos below.
Also, please complete the vocabulary chart if you haven't done that already.
9 Oedipus Rex Vocabulary
Wednesday, February 15
We watched a Prince EA video that Alexa and Sibley brought to share with the class.
We reviewed the Scene II guiding questions.
We watched the film version of Scene III.
Tuesday, February 14
We added our vocabulary words to the chart on the Google doc called 9 Oedipus Rex Vocabulary
We received the Google doc called 9 DIDLS chart for tone and discussed how to use diction, imagery, details, language and syntax to determine tone. We looked at lines 308-314 and used the DIDLS chart as a whole class to determine how the author creates an angry, accusing tone.
We read Ms. Amy's work in the Google doc 9 sample IOC Oedipus Rex.
We each made our own copy and annotated on the document what Ms. Amy did as a writer in each section of the IOC. (Ex: Includes title, author, place and time for the text in the first line. Uses transition words between points.)
Homework for Thursday: Complete the vocabulary chart if you didn't finish in class today.
Friday, February 10
We watched and read the rest of Scene II and started Scene III.
We answered the following questions about Creon's speech in lines 354-375.
1. What do you think of Creon's argument that Oedipus should go check with the Oracle at Delphi if he doesn't believe him?
2. What do you think of Creon's argument that Oedipus can kill him if he isn't telling the truth?
3. What do you think of Creon's argument that Oedipus shouldn't accuse him with no proof?
4. What do you think of Creon's statement that you can tell quickly if a man is bad but it takes a long time to tell if he is truly good?
5. Compare and contrast Oedipus and Creon in terms of their argument styles in what we have read so far in the play.
(We did this on paper in class. If you were absent, send me an email 9 NAME Creon's speech.)
Homework due Tuesday: Complete the guiding questions document for Ode I and Scene II and share it with me.
Then, read lines 393 to 537.
In an email to me, send the answers to these questions: 9 NAME lines 393-537
1) Provide a short summary in 3-6 sentences of what happens in these lines.
2) What is a line that stood out to you? Explain why.
3) What is one line that made no sense to you at all, or was the most confusing? Explain what confuses you.
Homework due Friday, February 8
Read and Watch Scene II up to line 375.
Wednesday, February 8
Today we looked carefully at lines 308-315 and worked in groups on the Big 5 chart for these lines, found on the
the guiding questions document for Ode I and Scene II.
Tuesday, February 7
Today we had 6 vocabulary poster presentations in stations and then had time to finish our group Tragic Hero paragraphs.
Homework: Translation or analysis of Linda's translation. See assignment below from last Wednesday.
Monday, February 6
We received a workshop from Anita, the school psychologist.
Friday, February 3
We reviewed and watched Scene 1.
Homework due Monday: Complete the guiding questions for Scene 1 on the Google doc and share it with me.
Homework for Wednesday: See below
Wednesday, February 1
We again welcomed our guest Linda Bamber, professor from Tufts University. She shared with each group her translations of the poems they had explained to her. The group that wasn't with her worked with Ms. Amy on Scene 1 of Oedipus Rex and reviewed the homework on the Google doc titled 9 NAME Oedipus Scene 1 Teiresias guiding questions.
Homework for Wednesday, Feb. 8: Revise or redo Linda's translation of the poem. OR Write an analysis of Linda's translation that answers the question: To what extent does Linda's translation effectively meet your needs as a reader? Use at least three specific examples to support your response. Do this in a Google doc titled 9 NAME Linda's poem translation and share it with me. Use MLA format.
Here are the poems for your reference, followed by Linda's translations.
Hombre por Jorge Debravo Soy hombre, he nacido, tengo piel y esperanza. Yo exijo, por lo tanto, que me dejen usarlas. No soy dios: soy un hombre (como decir un alga). Pero exijo calor en mis raíces, almuerzo en mis entrañas. No pido eternidades llenas de estrellas blancas. Pido ternura, cena, silencio, pan, casa...
Soy hombre, es decir, animal con palabras. Y exijo, por lo tanto, que me dejen usarlas.
Yo Voy Soñando Caminos por Antonio Machado
Yo voy soñando caminos de la tarde. ¡Las colinas doradas, los verdes pinos, las polvorientas encinas!… ¿Adónde el camino irá?
Yo voy cantando, viajero a lo largo del sendero… -la tarde cayendo está-. “En el corazón tenía la espina de una pasión; logré arrancármela un día: ya no siento el corazón.” Y todo el campo un momento se queda, mudo y sombrío, meditando. Suena el viento en los álamos del río. La tarde más se oscurece; y el camino que serpea y débilmente blanquea se enturbia y desaparece. Mi cantar vuelve a plañir: “Aguda espina dorada, quién te pudiera sentir en el corazón clavada.”
Soy Hombre
I’m a man, I was born, I have skin and hope. Is it too much to ask For room to use them both? I’m not a god; I’m a man (as algae is called algae; that’s my name.) I’m not asking for eternities Filled with white stars – Just warmth in my roots and lunch in my guts. What I ask I must have: Tenderness from time to time; dinner with friends; silence when I need it; Bread; and a home.
I’m a man, which is to say, An animal with words. Is it too much to ask Mine be heard?
Yo Voy Sonando Caminos
Dreaming down evening paths: Golden hills, green pines, dusty oaks. Does this road lead anywhere? Light changes, Evening arrives. I had in my heart a longing, A love, like a thorn. I pulled it out And now I can’t feel my heart At all. Just now The landscape stills; a Meditative solemnity settles in. The path winds, whitens, Disappears, and the tearful inner tune Returns. Golden thorn, oh thorn of gold, Would I could feel you still lodged In my heart!
Tuesday, January 31
We watched and analyzed Scene 1 of Oedipus Rex.
Homework for Wednesday: Read from lines 207-232. Answer questions 1-5 on your copy of the Google doc called
9 NAME Oedipus Scene 1 Teiresias guiding questions and share it with me.
Wednesday, January 25
We had our guest Linda Bamber, professor from Tufts University, with us to facilitate a translation activity that will continue next Wednesday.
No class tomorrow and no homework for Friday's class.
Homework due Tuesday, January 24: Finish the email to me in which you answer these questions: 5. What does Oedipus say will happen to a. someone who murdered Laius and admits it b. someone who knows who murdered Laius and tells who it was c. someone who knows who murdered Laius and doesn’t tell 6. What does Oedipus wish on anyone who does not support him?
Homework due Wednesday, January 25: Write a one paragraph response to the following question: 9 NAME Oedipus leader What kind of a leader is Oedipus? Use relevant and specific evidence from the play to support your answer. CLAIM/TOPIC SENTENCE: Write a claim that states your opinion of Oedipus’s leadership without using words like “I think…,” “I believe…,” “It seems to me…,” etc. Your opinion should be stated as a fact. EVIDENCE: Find three quotes from the text that support your claim. REASONING/ANALYSIS: Explain HOW these quotes prove your claim.
4
3
2
1
0
CLAIM:
The writer begins the response with an opinion stated as a fact. The statement is arguable and relates directly to the question.
EVIDENCE:
The writer provides evidence that is relevant to the claim, appropriately supports the claim and includes specific details.
REASONING:
The writer clearly connects the evidence to the claim. He/she appropriately analyzes how/why the evidence supports the claim.
MECHANICS
Response is free of errors in spelling & grammar.
ORGANIZATION
The paragraph has a logical structure with appropriate use of transition words.
Friday, January 20
We finished our presentations about with whom we each had the strongest connection.
We had our vocabulary poster presentations.
We watched the opening of the play.
Wednesday, January 18
We had our connections party!!!
Tuesday, January 17
Awards ceremony.
Review expectations for party.
Share homework stories in small groups.
Meet with play groups to work on Tragic Hero
presentation.
Write a response to the following question that includes evidence from your play to support your assertions.
To what extent does the character from your play fit each
of the four aspects of a tragic hero? Please do this
assignment in a Google Doc titled 9 NAME Tragic Hero 1
If one of the following words is yours, be prepared to present your poster on Wednesday:
suppliance
lamentation
blight
beseech
defile
denounce
Tuesday, January 24 lunch Anastassia 12:00 / Luis Felipe 12:15
Wednesday, January 25 after school: Noah, Jade and Olivia
Thursday, January 26 lunch Melanie
Friday, January 27 lunch Bernabe
Tuesday, January 31 lunch Rochelle
Thursday, February 2 lunch Felipe
Week of January 9-13:We worked on our plays, finished our posters and performed our plays.
Deadlines: The final vocab expert posters are due in class on Friday, Jan. 13. On Monday, January 9, you will rehearse and finalize your play. The goal is for each group to be ready to present on Tuesday. However, because of significant absences, I will be flexible. Each group must be ready to present on Friday in order to receive full credit.
Friday, January 6 We will continue to work on our vocab expert posters and our plays.
For your poster, remember that the objective is to make your classmates really understand your word. So, if there are words that might be confused for your word, or words that seem similar, you want to explain that the section about what the word is NOT. Here are some examples:
If your word were RAT, you might want to say "A rat is NOT a mouse" and explain the difference. Or, if your word were FLOWER, you would want to explain how it's not FLOUR. If your word were DISEASE, you might want to explain how it's different from SICKNESS. If your word were REPRESENT, you might want to explain how it doesn't mean PRESENT AGAIN, which people might think because of the prefix RE. Consider sentences like...From the definition, you might think _is similar to
_, but they are different because _. People often confuse this word with _ but they are different because _.
If you word has exact opposites, you can of course also include those.
If you were absent today, please email me for your assigned word.
Tuesday, January 3__ Riddle (noun): a type of question that describes something in adifficult and confusing way and has a clever or funnyanswer, often asked as a game (Cambridge Dictionaries Online) a mystifying, misleading, or puzzling question posed as a problem to be solved or guessed (Merriam-Webster Dictionary)
Spark: Turn and talk to figure out the answer to this famous riddle: What has an eye but cannot see?
We participated in a riddle scavenger hunt to figure out the answers to these famous riddles:
Who makes it, has no need of it. Who buys it, has no use for it. Who uses it can neither see nor feel it. What is it?
What can travel around the world while staying in a corner?
What has an eye but can not see?
There was a green house. Inside the green house there was a white house. Inside the white house there was a red house. Inside the red house there were lots of babies. What is it?
Feed me and I live, yet give me a drink and I die.
Forward I am heavy, but backward I am not. What am I?
We worked on making lists for what we need for our skits.
The scripts are due by the last day of school, December 1 at 3pm.
Group Text Comparison Essays are due on Monday, November 21 third period! In addition to following all instructions on the assignment sheet, the rubric and the example, please make sure to proofread for the following elements of effective writing before submitting your paper.
Capital letters at the beginning of sentences.
Capital letters at the beginning of proper nouns (names, titles, places).
Here is the definition of propaganda that should be memorized by Monday. Propaganda is the use of a variety of communication techniques that create an emotional appeal to accept a particular belief or opinion, to adopt a certain behavior or to perform a particular action. There is some disagreement about whether all persuasive communication is propagandistic or whether the propaganda label can only be applied to dishonest messages. If you completed the Russian Revolution song, rap, or poem, you are exempt from this requirement.
November 15
HOW DO I EMBED A QUOTATION INTO A SENTENCE? In general, avoid leaving quotes as sentences unto themselves. Even if you have provided some context for the quote, a quote standing alone can disrupt your flow. Take a look at this example: Hamlet denies Rosencrantz’s claim that thwarted ambition caused his depression. “I could be bounded in a nutshell and count myself a king of infinite space” (Hamlet 2.2). Standing by itself, the quote’s connection to the preceding sentence is unclear. There are several ways to incorporate a quote more smoothly:
Lead into the quote with a colon.
Hamlet denies Rosencrantz’s claim that thwarted ambition caused his depression: “I could be bounded in a nutshell and count myself a king of infinite space” (Hamlet 2.2). The colon announces that a quote will follow to provide evidence for the sentence’s claim.
Introduce or conclude the quote by attributing it to the speaker. If your attribution precedes the quote, you will need to use a comma after the verb.
Hamlet denies Rosencrantz’s claim that thwarted ambition caused his depression. He states, “I could be bounded in a nutshell and count myself a king of infinite space” (Hamlet 2.2). When faced with a twelve-foot mountain troll, Ron gathers his courage, shouting, “Wingardium Leviosa!” (Rowling, p. 176). The Pirate King sees an element of regality in their impoverished and dishonest life. “It is, it is a glorious thing/To be a pirate king,” he declares (Pirates of Penzance, 1983).
Interrupt the quote with an attribution to the speaker. Again, you will need to use a comma after the verb, as well as a comma leading into the attribution.
“There is nothing either good or bad,” Hamlet argues, “but thinking makes it so” (Hamlet 2.2). “And death shall be no more,” Donne writes, “Death thou shalt die” (“Death, Be Not Proud,” l. 14). Dividing the quote may highlight a particular nuance of the quote’s meaning. In the first example, the division calls attention to the two parts of Hamlet’s claim. The first phrase states that nothing is inherently good or bad; the second phrase suggests that our perspective causes things to become good or bad. In the second example, the isolation of “Death thou shalt die” at the end of the sentence draws a reader’s attention to that phrase in particular. As you decide whether or not you want to break up a quote, you should consider the shift in emphasis that the division might create.
Use the words of the quote grammatically within your own sentence.
When Hamlet tells Rosencrantz that he “could be bounded in a nutshell and count [him]self a king of infinite space” (Hamlet2.2), he implies that thwarted ambition did not cause his depression. Ultimately, death holds no power over Donne since in the afterlife, “death shall be no more” (“Death, Be Not Proud,” l. 14). Note that when you use “that” after the verb that introduces the quote, you no longer need a comma. The Pirate King argues that “it is, it is a glorious thing/to be a pirate king” (Pirates of Penzance, 1983).
HOW MUCH SHOULD I QUOTE?
As few words as possible. Remember, your paper should primarily contain your own words, so quote only the most pithy and memorable parts of sources. Here are guidelines for selecting quoted material judiciously:
Excerpt fragments.
Sometimes, you should quote short fragments, rather than whole sentences. Suppose you interviewed Jane Doe about her reaction to John F. Kennedy’s assassination. She commented:
You could quote all of Jane’s comments, but her first three sentences are fairly redundant. You might instead want to quote Jane when she arrives at the ultimate reason for her strong emotions:
Excerpt those fragments carefully!
Quoting the words of others carries a big responsibility. Misquoting misrepresents the ideas of others. Here’s a classic example of a misquote:
John Adams did, in fact, write the above words. But if you see those words in context, the meaning changes entirely. Here’s the rest of the quotation:
As you can see from this example, context matters! This example is from Paul F. Boller, Jr. and John George, They Never Said It: A Book of Fake Quotes, Misquotes, and Misleading Attributions(Oxford University Press, 1989).
November 8-9
We planned and implemented a lesson on propaganda for the 8th grade.
When you are ready to start on your portfolio reflections, here is a list of pieces to choose from.
vocabulary quiz
memorization of definitions of metaphor and allegory
metaphor essay
Russian Revolution song or poem
Reading quiz over Chapters 1-3
Group presentation about Chapter 5-6 questions with connections between Animal Farm and the supplementary texts
Chapter questions from Animal Farm
propaganda project
group text comparison essay
Friday, November 4
We took a break from our text comparison essays to work on the propaganda presentation for 8th grade.
CHANGE OF PLANS: NOTHING IS DUE ON FRIDAY!!!!! If you want to submit a rough draft of the essay, you can, but it is not required.
New schedule:
Friday and Tuesday-Work on Propaganda presentation
Weds in Spanish class time-present propaganda presentation
Weds and Friday--Work on text comparison.
Tuesday and Wednesday, Nov 1-2
We worked on our Animal Farm text comparison essay.
Wednesday, October 26 Content Objective: Students will develop an understanding of the IB paper 2 prompt.
Language Objective: Students will read and annotate an example paper from last year’s 9th grade. Students will speak with each other to analyze the paper.
See the Google doc 9 Animal Farm text comparison essay
Homework due on Friday is to finish the book. There will be a quiz over the last 3 chapters of the book in class Friday, Oct. 28. Tuesday, October 25
Content Objective: Students will demonstrate mastery of key allegory elements in Animal Farm. Students will analyze a variety of propaganda types in Animal Farm and in Stalin’s Russia, locating textual evidence and images.
Language Objective: Students will speak with their group members to plan a presentation for 8th grade. Students will read excerpts from Animal Farm and Russian history. Students will write analyses of how the text illustrates each propaganda type.
Wednesday, October 19 and Friday, October 20 Content Objective:Students will demonstrate mastery of their expert group question. Students will make connections between Chapter 6 and our anchor texts. Language Objective:Students will speak by presenting their expert group information to their peers. Students will write the connections they make between Chapter 6 and the anchor texts. Students will read through close analysis of Chapter 6 and anchor texts.
We rotated in groups to present expert group information and make connections between each part of Chapter 6 and the anchor texts in terms of purpose/audience, content, structure and/or stylistic devices.
We also started an allegory bingo game at the very end of Friday.
Friday, October 14
Students will work on their assigned questions in groups and write their response in MLA format on the shared Google doc created on Wednesday.
Tell about Clover’s interchange with Mollie. What triggered her concern? How did Mollie react and what does Clover do to confirm her suspicions? What do you think her motivation is? What appears to have happened to Mollie? Was there anything that foreshadowed this outcome?
How have the meetings been revised/changed? Describe the way each of the two leaders obtain support. Be specific. In particular, how does Napoleon respond to Snowballs plans for the farm?
What is Snowball’s big plan for the farm? What is his motivation? Where does he get the knowledge to make it work? Where does he make his drawings? Do the animals exhibit enthusiasm for them? How? Describe Napoleon’s reaction.
Describe the deep divide that grows among the animals in some detail. Include slogans.
How do the two leaders differ in their plans to defend the farm? Be specific.
Describe the meeting the day Snowballs plans were done. How does Napoleon win using the sheep and the dogs? What exactly does “winning” look like on that day?
Where did the dogs come from and what do the animals notice about their behavior towards Napoleon?
The meetings are revised again in this chapter. Describe them and Squealer’s role in “selling” the new meetings to the animals. What does he say about Napoleon’s burden’s and what does he imply about Snowball? What does he assert about Snowball’s actions at the Battle of the Cowshed?
Explain how Napoleon steals the Windmill plans and how he justifies his theft by using Squealer’s silver tongue.
Spend plenty of time making your answer thorough, with textual evidence and correctly formatted.
If you finish, please answer these questions in an email titled 9 NAME chapter 5 more.
4. What role does “Four legs good, two legs bad,” play in Napoleon’s propaganda? What is its meaning?
5. “[Squealer] repeated a number of times, ‘Tactics, comrades, tactics!’ skipping round and whisking his tail with a merry laugh. The animals were not certain what the word meant, but Squealer spoke so persuasively, and the three dogs who happened to be with him growled so threateningly, that they accepted his explanation without further questions.” If the animals didn’t understand Squealer’s words, why do you think they accepted his explanation?
6. It was “assumed” that the windmill plans had been rubbed off the floor. How does Orwell use this word to describe the animals’ level of thought? This is the second time the animals have assumed something. What did the animals assume in Chapter III that proved false? How dangerous is it to assume things?
7. Who do Snowball’s plans benefit? Do you believe the windmill will succeed?
Then you may read Chapter 6. It is due on Wednesday, October 19, along with the answers to these questions in an email titled 9 NAME chapter 6 questions 1. In what way is Snowball useful to Napoleon, even though he has been expelled from the farm?
2. How does Orwell show that to be literate, to be able to read and write, is not enough, if you cannot understand the significance of what you have read?
3. Why do you think that Benjamin refuses to "grow enthusiastic" about the windmill?
Wednesday, October 12
In teams, we answered reading comprehension questions about Chapter 4.
We received more in-depth questions about Chapter 5 that we will work on in a jigsaw activity over the next two classes.
Tuesday, October 11
We continued and finished our Academic/Active activity from Friday. We got a preview of our next project, which will be to write a story that is an allegory (political, moral or emotional).
Friday, October 7
Ms. Kenia will be with you for the reading quiz:
Part 1: Choose 2 of the following questions about Chapter 3 and answer them on lined paper. 1. Which animals work the hardest and which exploit the system? Support your answer with examples. 2. Why is the harvest so successful? In what ways do the various animals contribute? 3. Contrast the horses and the pigs. Describe how they are different. 4. Describe Benjamin's attitude toward the rebellion. 5. Compare and contrast Snowball and Napoleon. 6. Why do the pigs say they deserve more than the other animals? Do you agree? Why or why not?
Part 2: Which of the 4 texts did you enjoy the most? Why?
In groups, we participated in an Academic/Active activity. The whole class focused on the same text, but each group pulled a slip out of the envelope that identified their academic task from this list of options:
Analyze the stylistic devices on the Big 5 Google doc chart you created.
Analyze the structure on the Big 5 Google doc chart you created.
Analyze the content on the Big 5 Google doc chart you created.
Analyze the audience/purpose on the Big 5 Google doc chart you created.
Compare or connect the text to Snowball’s speech at the end of Chapter 3
Compare or connect the text to Old Major’s speech in Chapter 1.
Compare or or connect the text to the Seven Commandments in Chapter 2.
In between each academic activity, each group drew a slip of paper out of another envelope that identified an active movement that the group members did while listening to music for 60 seconds. Homework due Monday: Read or review Chapters 4 and 5 of Animal Farm.
Wednesday, October 5
We received 4 key texts that we will use during our Animal Farm unit: "Dogfish" by Mary Oliver, an excerpt from "The Cure at Troy" by Seamus Heaney, an article from the New York Times about why they delete certain reader comments, and a list of different types of propaganda from PBS.
Homework for Friday: Read through Chapter 3, review all 4 texts and be prepared to take a reading quiz.
Tuesday, October 4
We heard the final 2 performances and a quiz about the
key events, people and issues of the Russian Revolution
Wednesday, September 28
We had our performance celebration of raps, songs, poems and videos to help us remember the key events, people and issues of the Russian Revolution. We provided feedback on our ongoing feedback forms.
On Tuesday, Oct 4, which will be our next class together, we will hear the final 2 performances and a quiz about the
key events, people and issues of the Russian Revolution
Tuesday, September 27
Ms. Amy is in San Jose at a CCP event today.
Today, please:
1) Practice your Russian Revolution rap/song/poem/play if you need to. You will perform them tomorrow on Wednesday.
2) Work on the 9 NAME Prompt Choices for Animal Farm Chapter 1 assignment.
3) Read the last two paragraphs of Chapter 1. (Use the Animal Farm pdf below.)
4) Email me an answer to this question: What elements of the allegory do you see so far? Provide specific examples of characters in the book and who you see that they represent in the Russian Revolution.
5) Read the beginning of Chapter 2, up through the line on p. 15 that ends with "...Beasts of England, with which the meetings always ended." Use the information from this page and a half to continue adding to your document called 9 NAME Animal Farm character chart.
Friday, September 23
Spark: Open the Google doc 9 NAME Animal Farm character chart. Read the first 5 paragraphs of the book and complete the boxes on the chart that you can after reading these paragraphs.
We then engaged in the concentric circles activity to analyze Old Major's speech.
Thursday, September 22
We reviewed our allegory work with The Butter Battle Book, using Bloom's Taxonomy to track our learning.
We watched a Prezi about the key events and people of the Russian Revolution. I presented the challenge assignment of writing a mnemonic song, poem, rap or play to facilitate recall of these key events and people of the Russian Revolution.
I held conferences about metaphor essays while the class worked on their mnemonic devices.
Wednesday, September 21
We finished The Butter Battle Book and worked on the allegory analysis chart on the Google doc titled 9 NAME allegory.
We had conferences about metaphor essays while working on the charts.
Friday, September 15
We reviewed the allegories in Aesop's fables. We worked on our metaphor essays.
Homework: Students need to memorize this definition of allegory for our next class on Tuesday. An allegory is a story, play, poem, picture or other work in which the characters and events represent particular qualities or ideas that relate to morals, religion or politics.An allegory has been called “a metaphor on steroids” because the author creates a fictional story in which all the elements represent other things with deeper meaning and together deliver an overall message.
Wednesday, September 14
We worked on our metaphor essays. We received the Google doc titled 9 NAME Aesop's fables. Homework due Friday is completion of the tasks explained on this document.
Tuesday, September 13
We worked on our metaphor essays.
Friday--Profe Luis took the class because my car broke down on the way to school. :-(
Wednesday, September 7
Spark: Read the following famous extended metaphor. Turn and talk: What is the overarching metaphor? How does Shakespeare extend it? “All the world’s a stage, and all the men and women merely players; They have their exits and their entrances; And one man in his time plays many parts.” -Shakespeare’s As You Like It
We revisited the bridge essay from yesterday and looked at the extensions at the end. We discussed at how in order to extend a metaphor, one must look at smaller elements of the thing you are using for comparison.
We identified smaller elements of a stage and students wrote their own extensions of Shakespeare's "All the world's a stage" metaphor. They were amazing. We have a garden of geniuses in the 9th grade!
We then pulled up our own lists of characteristics and discussed 2 different ways to begin thinking about our own draft.
Homework for Thursday, even though we don't have class: email me the overarching metaphor you plan to use for this project. 9 NAME metaphor for me idea
Homework for Friday: Work on your first draft. Write directly on the 9 NAME metaphor for me brainstorm Google doc. This doesn't have to be a complete draft, but it must show significant work and thinking.
Tuesday, September 6 Content Objective:Students will review and state their understanding of what makes an effective metaphor. Students will develop an ability to evaluate the effectiveness of a metaphor and an understanding of an extended metaphor. Language Objective:Students will read and evaluate example metaphors, speak with peers to share ideas and write a list of characteristics.
Spark: What is the purpose of a metaphor? In other words, why would someone use one?
We will discuss the definition of the words effective and evaluate.
Students will evaluate the following metaphors and determine which is most effective:
Life is a flute. It may have many holes and emptiness but if you work on it carefully, it can play magical melodies.
Life is a camera: focus on what is important, capture the good moments, develop from the negatives and if things don’t work out, take another shot.
Life is an echo. What you sent out, comes back. What you give, you get. What you see in others, exists in you.
Life is a roller coaster. You can either scream every time you hit a bump or you can throw your hands up in the air and enjoy it.
We will read two extended metaphor essays and began to discuss how the authors added extensions to the metaphors.
Homework due Wednesday: Fill a page of a Google doc with a brainstormed list of characteristics of you! Title it 9 NAME metaphor for me brainstorm
Friday, September 2 Content Objective:Students will review and deeper their understanding of metaphors. Students will be able to provide feedback about an 8th grader's original metaphor. Language Objective:Students will read and analyze example metaphors, speak with partners to form and analyze 8th graders' metaphors and write their analysis using growth mindset prompts.
We enjoyed our remaining vocabulary ski. The spark was to discuss the metaphor "My sadness was a rock on my heart." using these prompts: 1.What two things are being compared? 2.What characteristics do the two things share? 3.What is the purpose of the comparison?
We searched for the clearest definition of metaphor and decided on this one:
Metaphor is a figure of speech which makes an implicit, implied or hidden comparison between two things that are unrelated but share some common characteristics. In other words, a resemblance of two contradictory or different objects is made based on a single or some common characteristics. After a discussion, pairs of students applied their understanding of the necessary elements of a metaphor to an 8th grader's work, using these prompts:
It was effective...
In order to improve, clarify, and more fully develop the metaphor, consider...
Wednesday, August 31
Students will have 35 minutes to finish and practice their skits.
Groups will perform skits and provide growth mindset feedback for their classmates using their own Google Sheet that we will create in class. Feedback charts for the three groups that performed today are due by the beginning of class on Friday!
Tuesday, August 30 Content Objective:Students will be able to understand ten new vocabulary words, analyze their use in sentences from Animal Farm and use these vocabulary words in real life situations. Language Objective:Students will read sentences in which new vocabulary words appear, definitions and other example sentences. Students will speak with peers to match sentences with definitions. Students will write sentences of their own. Students will speak to present their words and sentences to the class. Students will speak with peers to create skit using the words in conversations. Students will write a short skit using the words in a real life situation. Students will speak to perform their skits for the class.
1
ensconced (adjective) settled comfortably
"At one end of the big barn, on a short of raised platform, Major was already ensconced on this bed of straw, under a lantern which hung from a beam" (1).
Clara is ensconced in a beach chair and has no immediate plans to return to work.
2
laborious (adjective) requiring much work
"Let us face it: our lives are miserable, laborious, and short" (2).
After hours of laborious research, the doctor was able to effectively diagnose his patient.
3
enmity (noun) hatred
"I have little more to say. I merely repeat, remember always your duty of enmity towards Man and all his ways. Whatever goes upon two legs is an enemy" (4).
After learning John was the one who stole his truck, Henry felt a great deal of enmity towards him.
4
vivacious (adjective) lively, animated
Snowball was a more vivacious pig than Napoleon, quicker in speech and more inventive, but was not considered to have the depth of character" (6).
Being vivacious helped her to be an excellent salesperson.
5
apathy (noun) lack of interest, indifference
"At the beginning they met with much stupidity and apathy" (6).
People have shown surprising apathy toward these important social problems.
6
acute (adjective) sharp, intense, highly developed
"Every mouthful of food was an acute positive pleasure, now that it was truly their own food, produced by themselves and for themselves" (11).
She notices everything and makes acute observations.
7
parasitical (adjective) living on others without any useful return
"With the worthless parasitical human beings gone, there was more for everyone to eat" (11).
He lives a parasitical life, relying on others for everything and doing no work himself.
8
indefatigable (adjective) tireless
"Snowball also busied himself with organizing the other animals into what he called Animal Committees. He was indefatigable at this" (12).
They are indefatigable employees who can work from sunrise to sunset.
9
tractable (adjective) easily managed, controlled
"Bulls which has always been tractable suddenly turned savage" (15).
This new approach should make the problem more tractable.
He is a very tractable child so he never gets in trouble but also never gets what he wants.
10
ignominious (adjective) disgraceful, shameful
“And so within five minutes of their invasion they were in ignominious retreat by the same way as they had come" (17).
The prison guards degraded themselves with their inhumane, ignominious treatment of the prisoners
asnodgrass@lapazschool.org
9th grade English
Here is the link to the video we watched on Tuesday. :-)
http://www.learner.org/courses/worldlit/odyssey/watch/
Please use this checklist to make final edits to your paper. I will grade what is on the document by 8pm today. Thank you for your hard work.
Final Edit Checklist
https://docs.google.com/a/lapazschool.org/document/d/1zKgIZwr956X9v6lBPTUnbhVgxPVV9WN0y-ZIw1c4ZCs/edit?usp=sharing
Resource for MLA 8th edition
https://www.cse.edu/global/pdf/academics/mahoney-library/citations/EasyBib_MLA8_Guide.pdf
http://www.lib.sfu.ca/help/cite-write/citation-style-guides/mla/encyclopaedias-dictionaries
End-of-Year Deadlines
Metaphor-for-Me due Monday, June 26 absolutely latest, but it would be preferable to have it completed by the end of class on Friday if possible, especially if you are going to present it at Night of the Arts, so we have time to revise.
Research paper due Monday, July 3.
For Friday’s test, you should know
You will receive a list of 18 questions and will need to answer 8 of your choice. Each question will require application, analysis, evaluation and/or creation.
Wednesday, June 14
Today we reviewed how to write supporting paragraphs, using this document:
https://docs.google.com/a/lapazschool.org/document/d/1NN5oY4kGmfeNK9ULmnps49gPfREPjOeSyggt3NUJLkc/edit?usp=sharing
Ms. Amy checked our thesis statements and outlines. Everyone is ready to move on!
https://www.cliffsnotes.com/literature/o/the-odyssey/summary-and-analysis/book-12
Tuesday, June 13
We finished our connections activity in preparation for Friday's test.
We reviewed what a thesis statement and discussed examples thesis statements for each essay option.
Homework for Wednesday: Write a working thesis statement and a possible outline.
Monday, June 12
Share memorizations.
Discuss the Test of the Bow, the marriage bed and "Penelope" by Dorothy Parker.
Spend some time exploring the map.
http://esripm.maps.arcgis.com/apps/MapTour/index.html?appid=4fc9153f4d9248b9bab7011e3950b552&webmap=962ca9da38bf4c5e9439a6acf3dd1b3e
Connections activity in prep for test on Friday.
Friday, June 9
We discussed research questions using this Google doc.
Students worked on creating their own research question and continued to read.
We began a presentation about new MLA 8th Edition rules. You can access the Prezi here
https://docs.google.com/a/lapazschool.org/document/d/1HRoz6xCz-Xqby_4OAVTtXKOkfEY2XCOa06_voPyx33I/edit?usp=sharing
Homework due Monday: Complete your research question if you haven't yet. Finish the Odyssey. Memorize a passage from Book 22 or 23. Answer questions LMNOPQRSTU in an email to me titled 9 Books 22-23
LMNOPQRSTU. Finish the handout questions from the Prezi.
Wednesday, June 7
We read about our topics, working toward step 3 on the checklist. Your choice of option is due on Friday.
Link to checklist:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1qmEiStz-WAuTb5og1eJPZ01XM5FH37GPM2Nt0gFGTz0/edit?usp=sharing
Tuesday, June 6
circle of bards
dramatic irony in Book 17
review research assignment
share topics
review checklist and begin
Homework due Wednesday: Read Book 21. Memorize passage.
Monday, June 5
Share memorized passages. Share chosen topics.
Finish Book 11: Tiresias's prophecy on 9 NAME Odyssey guided reading Book 11 Land of the Dead
Analysis of Book 12: Sirens / Charybdis and Scylla / Helios's cattle
https://docs.google.com/a/lapazschool.org/document/d/17iO9mXCMDoMjeer_pBPotWOVhkQf3eIkumYF0Tunytc/edit?usp=sharing
Review of Book 16: Telemachus and reunion with Odysseus
Homework due Tuesday: Finish Book 12 chart. Read Book 17 and memorize a passage.
Friday, June 2
We shared our memorized passages. We did concentric circles and added ideas to our
9 NAME Odyssey research ideas Circe document. If you were absent: Delete the world Circe from the title of your document. Add one bullet point to each option using information from Book 12.
We looked at the checklist for the research paper.
https://docs.google.com/a/lapazschool.org/document/d/1qmEiStz-WAuTb5og1eJPZ01XM5FH37GPM2Nt0gFGTz0/edit?usp=sharing
Homework due Monday: Read Book 16. Answer questions A, B, C, D and E in an email to me 9 NAME Book 16 ABCDE. Memorize passage. Decide on the modern topic that you will write about for your research paper.
Wednesday, May 31
We shared our memorizations.
We continued our work on Book 11 Land of the Dead.
We watched Dylan, Felipe, Bernabe and Olivia's video about epithets.
Homework due Friday
Finish reading Book 11. Complete the chart on the Google doc.
Read Book 12. Memorize a three line passage. Answer questions T, U and V in an email to me 9 NAME Book 12 TUV.
Tuesday, May 30
Book 11 Land of the Dead
https://docs.google.com/a/lapazschool.org/document/d/14lhzlfaf2l85ihHrTXH0RKuwCKdt19XuoPl-qAoA0sM/edit?usp=sharing
Book 10 Circe
https://docs.google.com/a/lapazschool.org/document/d/1Wo_cot1-8Biz3haIkPKlZ76zSOrXIzr7s4qz7iGNYmc/edit?usp=sharing
Homework due Wednesday: Read lines 1-65. Memorize a 3 line passage.
Friday, May 26
We had a class meeting and shared our memorizations.
Wednesday, May 24
We share our memorized passages. We watched a film version of the Cyclops story and analyzed its main difference from the text. We watched 3 of our classmates' videos.
Homework: Read book 10.
Choose a passage of at least 3 lines to memorize and share with the class.
Answer the question about the epic simile next to the little red symbol. Send that answer in an email to me with 2 images you find of Circe. 9 NAME Circe
Tuesday, May 23
Students finished their videos. We shared our memorized passages.
We looked closely at 2 passages from the Lotus Eaters story and made connections with modern events that could work as an example idea for our research paper.
Homework due Wednesday: Finish book 9. Choose a passage of at least 3 lines to memorize and share with the class. Find an image online of the Cyclops that you think accurately interprets the text. You are welcome to create your own image instead. Email me 9 NAME Cyclops image.
Monday, May 22
Students worked on their videos in groups.
Homework due Tuesday: Read Book 9, lines 1-55.
choose a passage of at least 3 lines to memorize and share with the class.
Friday, May 19
We shared our memorized passages, added our modern connections to our shared document and received our video assignment for either epic simile, epithet or epic hero to teach the topic to the 8th grade class. The only homework over the weekend is to do your newspaper reading.
Wednesday, May 17
Homework due Thursday: Email me 9 NAME research thoughts 1
Review the 9 Odyssey research assignment document and the
9 Odyssey Modern Connection Possibilities spreadsheet.
If you had to write this research paper now, after just reading Book 1, which Option would you choose and which topic would you choose?
Homework due Friday: Read Book 5, pp. 1206-1209. In an email to me 9 NAME Book 5, do the following:
1) Answer questions B, C and D that are in the margin of the text.
2) Make a list of at least 3 ways the characters, events or themes of this Book can connect to modern life.
3) What is one place where you see figurative language or a stylistic device? What is it and how does it affect you as a reader?
Then, choose a passage of at least 3 lines to memorize and share with the class.
Monday, May 15
Please access this document for the skit assignment
https://docs.google.com/a/lapazschool.org/document/d/1ltNdeKbDhEO9zO3pBF25Q-7ZIxajUkkADMRYL7MjPwc/edit?usp=sharing
and this document for the skit rubric
https://docs.google.com/a/lapazschool.org/document/d/1XJPqR3Bz-bbat77hwc-zlDHvT2eDjElczI_VhUiuPYY/edit?usp=sharing
Friday, May 12
Please first complete the Odyssey background questions.
Then, access this document for the skit assignment
https://docs.google.com/a/lapazschool.org/document/d/1ltNdeKbDhEO9zO3pBF25Q-7ZIxajUkkADMRYL7MjPwc/edit?usp=sharing
and this document for the skit rubric
https://docs.google.com/a/lapazschool.org/document/d/1XJPqR3Bz-bbat77hwc-zlDHvT2eDjElczI_VhUiuPYY/edit?usp=sharing
Monday we will read the text and answer all student-created Odyssey background questions and have our mnemonic device performances. Tuesday we will finish our Creation Museum.
Friday, May 5: We had our Spoken Word performance for our families and teachers. We got our first exposure to our new research paper assignment.
Wednesday, May 3: We began our Creation Museum.
Tuesday, May 2: We had our in-class Spoken Word performance.
In addition to the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal, here is a list of other newspapers you can consider for the reading assignment:
LA Times
Chicago Tribune
Washington Post
San Francisco Chronicle
The Guardian
Friday, April 28
Today we received our new assignment: Create! See this Google doc:
https://docs.google.com/a/lapazschool.org/document/d/1GsxV4TvZ1zTEyyMPKJOZzPPCHOWh5CsfGEaDc3X3hco/edit?usp=sharing
Friday, April 21,
Monday, April 24- Wednesday, April 26
We worked on our spoken word poems and our Odyssey assignments.
Wednesday, April 19
Link to the Odyssey pre-reading assignment
https://docs.google.com/a/lapazschool.org/document/d/1VCs4IBvMk8r6gqKfT1JV1CXCp0EHMet0b9or3EJtxeI/edit?usp=sharing
We had time to work either on this assignment or on our spoken words.
Tuesday, April 18
1. Open IOCs and receive rubric with grade.
2. Go over schedule.
3. Go over homework assignments for next month.
https://docs.google.com/a/lapazschool.org/spreadsheets/d/1x5UQyfaeSTJk2yvCRt6ZgyZB9X7v_KM1FkTfharsv5k/edit?usp=sharing
4. How to start spoken word.... OR Work on spoken word.
Your written poem is due Monday, April 24. The performance (including memorization) must be ready by Friday, April 28.
link to Spoken Word assignment
https://docs.google.com/a/lapazschool.org/document/d/1CSnsGhqtplYVR7iIqOozIrObVG6drpO_FRf8tDMZvBQ/edit?usp=sharing
link to Odyssey pre-reading assignment
https://docs.google.com/a/lapazschool.org/document/d/1VCs4IBvMk8r6gqKfT1JV1CXCp0EHMet0b9or3EJtxeI/edit?usp=sharing
link to Odyssey research paper assignment
https://docs.google.com/a/lapazschool.org/document/d/1SSbqeiOQUTuVk3Vo771Q-jq6kEdJgwR7u_dFU0KlRvk/edit?usp=sharing
Monday, March 13
Half of the class presented their spoken word performances of published poems. Each student was assigned two elements of spoken word to focus on for their feedback.
Friday, March 10
Your spoken word performances are due on Monday unless I specifically and personally gave you an extension. You will have 15 minutes at the beginning of class to practice.
You do NOT need to work on the chart over the weekend.
Monday and Wednesday, March 6 and 8
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1VN63ugoMcFCmnXJEipTe3vr3Hb9ItvRBGX-26J_mENg/edit?usp=sharing
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1NRpSAgyOGDkIrKdJ_w6U3exoxmREPqlWrn4JvEs1Kx8/edit?usp=sharing
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1AKHKC_gd19gb_iKIEOBxGjFt9LAztX_AGVyKXg_Xz0k/edit?usp=sharing
Email me which poem you want to perform for your practice performance and with whom, if anyone, you will perform. Everyone needs to send me a separate email. 9 NAME practice performance poem choice.
Friday, March 3
We had two classes!
We heard performances of the memorized IOC passages from Sibley, Anastassia, Olivia, Rochelle, Isa, Noah, Luis Felipe, Joan Bernabe.
We discussed how diction creates tone.
We worked on our IOCs essays. They are due on Monday. Email me with any questions. Please use the WhatsApp group only for general group questions. If you have individual questions, email is better for that. Thank you!
Here is the PowerPoint presentation we looked at in class.
We talked in class about sentence starters to help with the analysis of tone. I am working on a document with examples for all elements of the DIDLS chart, but here is the section on diction.
Here is the link to a Google doc I created with sentence frames and examples about how to analyze tone. You can only access it if you are logged in with your new lapazschool.org email.
https://docs.google.com/a/lapazschool.org/document/d/1o6-dk_phIVnHvKkjviJImTt37jtfyzC2H4crLGF--qM/edit?usp=sharing
If you need to revise your quote idea map, that is due on Monday.
Thursday, March 2
We had an extra class because Profe Luis was on a field trip.
We watched a spoken word poem called "Beach Bodies" by David Fasanya and Gabriel Barralaga.
Many students performed their IOC passages.
We then had time to work on our IOCs.
Wednesday, March 1
We watched a spoken word poem called "Lost Voices" by Darius Simpson and Scout Bostley.
Camila, Alexa and Dag performed their IOC passages.
We then had time to work on our IOCs.
Tuesday, February 28
We had a class meeting today.
Homework due Wednesday: Email me 9 NAME golden goals Identify at least 2 specific examples that provide evidence that the class is making progress toward our golden goals.
Monday, February 27
We watched a middle schooler perform an anti-bullying poem and we watched Miles Hodges and Carvens Lissaint perform their spoken word duet poem "Strive."
Lionel, Ashley and Melanie performed their IOC passages from Oedipus Rex.
We worked on our IOC using the tools listed below in Friday's wiki entry.
Friday, February 24
We watched 2 spoken word poems from students of Taylor Mali.
We created a museum of our key quote maps and participated in a gallery walk, providing growth mindset feedback for each other.
IOC passages need to be memorized by these dates to be performed in class.
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1X44n056WZA4iy8Y0jRU-HO16x0k3uL4igGGFwTNUKi0/edit?usp=sharing
You do not need to do anything with it yet but you are welcome to preview it and start your work.
Wednesday, February 22
Here are your IOC passage assignments. You do not need to do anything with them yet. We will talk more about the assignment on Friday. However, you will have to memorize them, so you are welcome to start any time.
In class today, each student was assigned a key quote from Oedipus Rex and, as preparation for the IOC, were asked to completed the following:
Make an idea map with the quote in the middle. Out from the quote, please provide information about
1) Who is speaking? To whom?
2) What is the content? What is the context? What is the effect on the audience?
3) What stylistic devices are used? What are their effects?
4) What is the tone? How do you know?
5) How does it reveal themes of the play?
6) How does it reflect elements of Ancient Greek drama?
7) How does it advance the plot?
1 and 2 are required. You must include at least 4 other elements on your map. Any format is accepted (page, poster, electronic, 3D, etc.)
Complete the idea map for class on Friday.
Homework due Wednesday
Here are your options for the IOC. Please email me a list of your first three choices, numbered 1, 2 and 3 for first, second and third choice. Call the email 9 NAME IOC top 3 choices
priest lines 9-25
Oedipus lines 26-37
Oedipus lines 111-139
Oedipus lines 233-249
Teiresias lines 253-264
Creon lines 354-375
Jocasta lines 438-451
Oedipus lines 492-527
Chorus lines 551-565
Second Messenger lines 837-869
Second Messenger lines 871-877
Oedipus and Chorus lines 890-908
Check your ordering work here:
A drunk man tells Oedipus that Oedipus’s parents are not his blood parents.
Oedipus goes to the oracle to find out about his parents.
The oracle tells Oedipus he will murder his father and marry his mother.
Oedipus runs away in fear of the oracle’s prophecy.
Oedipus fights with a group of men on the road and ends up killing all but one of them.
Thebes finds out that their king, Laius, was murdered. They do not investigate the murder because they are preoccupied with a plague that the Sphinx has placed on the city.
Oedipus solves the Riddle of the Sphinx, saves Thebes from the plague, and is made king.
Oedipus marries Jocasta, the queen and widow of Laius.
Years pass. Oedipus and Jocasta have four children.
Thebes is hit by a new plague.
The citizens of Thebes beg Oedipus, their king, to save them again.
Oedipus sends Creon, his brother in law, to the oracle at Delphi to find out what he should do.
Creon returns from the oracle with the news that they must seek revenge on the murderer of Laius in order to get rid of the plague.
Oedipus decrees that the murdered will be banished if he confesses and killed if he doesn’t.
Oedipus asks Teiresias, the blind prophet, to tell him who killed Laius.
Teiresias says that Oedipus himself is the murderer.
Oedipus accuses Teiresias and Creon of working together to frame him so that Creon can become king.
Jocasta tells Oedipus to not worry about what oracles and prophets say. She tells the story of how an oracle told her and Laius that Laius would be killed by his son and how they gave their baby to a trusted servant to take to a mountain and leave him to die. She says Laius was not killed by his son but by robbers at a place where three roads meet, so the prophecy was wrong.
Oedipus tells the story of how he killed the group of men on the road. He becomes afraid that it was Laius he killed without knowing it.
A messenger arrives from Corinth with the news that Polybus, Oedipus’s father has died.
The messenger tells Oedipus that Oedipus’s parents were not his blood parents. He explains that another shepherd gave him Oedipus as a baby, and he gave him to Oedipus’s parents to adopt.
Jocasta realizes that her husband Oedipus is the son she thought had died.
The old shepherd who used to work for Laius arrives, and admits that he was supposed to kill Jocasta’s baby but did not.
Jocasta kills herself.
Oedipus finds Jocasta dead, blinds himself and banishes himself from Thebes in order to save the city from the plague.
Creon becomes king.
Monday, February 20
Dylan presented his poster on the word "indignant."
We watched "The Complainers," a spoken word poem by Rudy Francisco, in order to increase our exposure to spoken word before we begin our unit about it next month.
We went over the submitted answers to the question, "What is one line that made no sense to you at all, or was the most confusing? Explain what confuses you." We discussed that not knowing the vocabulary is not a reason to be confused by a line. Look up the words!!!!
We watched the play until the final scene.
Homework: Finish the play and answer at least one of the following questions.
1) What is one line that made no sense to you at all, or was the most confusing? Explain what confuses you.
2) What is one line that stands out to you due to its use of something we have learned about in class. Explain how the line reflects the class content.
Friday, February 17
We watched "Shrinking Women," a spoken word poem by Lily Myers, in order to increase our exposure to spoken word before we begin our unit about it next month.
We used the DIDLS chart to identify the tone in our lines. We did our staged reading of the scene.
Homework due Monday:
Read lines 632-735.
In an email 9 NAME lines 632-735, answer these questions:
1. What crucial information does the messenger reveal about Oedipus's past?
2. Review lines 664-713. a) Why does Jocasta want him to stop the search? b) What is Oedipus most worried about?
3. Review lines 731-735. What is Oedipus's tone in these lines? What in the lines lead you to determine this tone? Use the DIDLS chart
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1pjb5TNs_qqFx9fIoekgabyIg5EspIuFqoGoItXUY-yY/edit?usp=sharing
Homework due Friday
Read lines 535-630 Memorize the lines assigned to you in the photos below.
Also, please complete the vocabulary chart if you haven't done that already.
9 Oedipus Rex Vocabulary
Wednesday, February 15
We watched a Prince EA video that Alexa and Sibley brought to share with the class.
We reviewed the Scene II guiding questions.
We watched the film version of Scene III.
Tuesday, February 14
We added our vocabulary words to the chart on the Google doc called 9 Oedipus Rex Vocabulary
We received the Google doc called 9 DIDLS chart for tone and discussed how to use diction, imagery, details, language and syntax to determine tone. We looked at lines 308-314 and used the DIDLS chart as a whole class to determine how the author creates an angry, accusing tone.
We read Ms. Amy's work in the Google doc 9 sample IOC Oedipus Rex.
We each made our own copy and annotated on the document what Ms. Amy did as a writer in each section of the IOC. (Ex: Includes title, author, place and time for the text in the first line. Uses transition words between points.)
Homework for Thursday: Complete the vocabulary chart if you didn't finish in class today.
Friday, February 10
We watched and read the rest of Scene II and started Scene III.
We answered the following questions about Creon's speech in lines 354-375.
1. What do you think of Creon's argument that Oedipus should go check with the Oracle at Delphi if he doesn't believe him?
2. What do you think of Creon's argument that Oedipus can kill him if he isn't telling the truth?
3. What do you think of Creon's argument that Oedipus shouldn't accuse him with no proof?
4. What do you think of Creon's statement that you can tell quickly if a man is bad but it takes a long time to tell if he is truly good?
5. Compare and contrast Oedipus and Creon in terms of their argument styles in what we have read so far in the play.
(We did this on paper in class. If you were absent, send me an email 9 NAME Creon's speech.)
Homework due Tuesday: Complete the guiding questions document for Ode I and Scene II and share it with me.
Then, read lines 393 to 537.
In an email to me, send the answers to these questions: 9 NAME lines 393-537
1) Provide a short summary in 3-6 sentences of what happens in these lines.
2) What is a line that stood out to you? Explain why.
3) What is one line that made no sense to you at all, or was the most confusing? Explain what confuses you.
Homework due Friday, February 8
Read and Watch Scene II up to line 375.
Wednesday, February 8
Today we looked carefully at lines 308-315 and worked in groups on the Big 5 chart for these lines, found on the
the guiding questions document for Ode I and Scene II.
Tuesday, February 7
Today we had 6 vocabulary poster presentations in stations and then had time to finish our group Tragic Hero paragraphs.
Homework: Translation or analysis of Linda's translation. See assignment below from last Wednesday.
Monday, February 6
We received a workshop from Anita, the school psychologist.
Friday, February 3
We reviewed and watched Scene 1.
Homework due Monday: Complete the guiding questions for Scene 1 on the Google doc and share it with me.
Homework for Wednesday: See below
Wednesday, February 1
We again welcomed our guest Linda Bamber, professor from Tufts University. She shared with each group her translations of the poems they had explained to her. The group that wasn't with her worked with Ms. Amy on Scene 1 of Oedipus Rex and reviewed the homework on the Google doc titled 9 NAME Oedipus Scene 1 Teiresias guiding questions.
Homework for Wednesday, Feb. 8: Revise or redo Linda's translation of the poem. OR Write an analysis of Linda's translation that answers the question: To what extent does Linda's translation effectively meet your needs as a reader? Use at least three specific examples to support your response. Do this in a Google doc titled 9 NAME Linda's poem translation and share it with me. Use MLA format.
Here are the poems for your reference, followed by Linda's translations.
Hombre
por Jorge Debravo
Soy hombre, he nacido,
tengo piel y esperanza.
Yo exijo, por lo tanto,
que me dejen usarlas.
No soy dios: soy un hombre
(como decir un alga).
Pero exijo calor en mis raíces,
almuerzo en mis entrañas.
No pido eternidades
llenas de estrellas blancas.
Pido ternura, cena,
silencio, pan, casa...
Soy hombre, es decir,
animal con palabras.
Y exijo, por lo tanto,
que me dejen usarlas.
Yo Voy Soñando Caminos
por Antonio Machado
Yo voy soñando caminos
de la tarde. ¡Las colinas
doradas, los verdes pinos,
las polvorientas encinas!…
¿Adónde el camino irá?
Yo voy cantando, viajero
a lo largo del sendero…
-la tarde cayendo está-.
“En el corazón tenía
la espina de una pasión;
logré arrancármela un día:
ya no siento el corazón.”
Y todo el campo un momento
se queda, mudo y sombrío,
meditando. Suena el viento
en los álamos del río.
La tarde más se oscurece;
y el camino que serpea
y débilmente blanquea
se enturbia y desaparece.
Mi cantar vuelve a plañir:
“Aguda espina dorada,
quién te pudiera sentir
en el corazón clavada.”
Soy Hombre
I’m a man, I was born,
I have skin and hope. Is it too much to ask
For room to use them both?
I’m not a god; I’m a man
(as algae is called algae; that’s my name.)
I’m not asking for eternities
Filled with white stars –
Just warmth in my roots
and lunch in my guts. What I ask I must have:
Tenderness from time to time; dinner with friends;
silence when I need it;
Bread; and a home.
I’m a man, which is to say,
An animal with words. Is it too much to ask
Mine be heard?
Yo Voy Sonando Caminos
Dreaming down evening paths:
Golden hills, green pines, dusty oaks.
Does this road lead anywhere? Light changes,
Evening arrives. I had in my heart a longing,
A love, like a thorn. I pulled it out
And now I can’t feel my heart
At all. Just now
The landscape stills; a
Meditative solemnity settles in.
The path winds, whitens,
Disappears, and the tearful inner tune
Returns. Golden thorn, oh thorn of gold,
Would I could feel you still lodged
In my heart!
Tuesday, January 31
We watched and analyzed Scene 1 of Oedipus Rex.
Homework for Wednesday: Read from lines 207-232. Answer questions 1-5 on your copy of the Google doc called
9 NAME Oedipus Scene 1 Teiresias guiding questions and share it with me.
Wednesday, January 25
We had our guest Linda Bamber, professor from Tufts University, with us to facilitate a translation activity that will continue next Wednesday.
No class tomorrow and no homework for Friday's class.
Tuesday, January 24
We talked about translation and looked at 3 different translations of Oedipus's speech in the Prologue. See
https://docs.google.com/a/lapazschool.org/document/d/1IR6EXDEhuylFzgKhMwjZi1rcgc28JEpYdXNpxTr9TWM/edit?usp=sharing
Homework: Read these two poems that you will work with tomorrow and that you will see in Spanish class during the next unit.
https://docs.google.com/a/lapazschool.org/document/d/1pzXkgUM11zgk9nAEpmY2LBPLkGZnAi-mUULegfE_6e4/edit?usp=sharing
Monday, January 23
We brainstormed qualities of an effective leader.
We watched and read the first scene of Oedipus Rex.
Homework due Tuesday, January 24: Finish the email to me in which you answer these questions:
5. What does Oedipus say will happen to
a. someone who murdered Laius and admits it
b. someone who knows who murdered Laius and tells who it was
c. someone who knows who murdered Laius and doesn’t tell
6. What does Oedipus wish on anyone who does not support him?
Homework due Wednesday, January 25: Write a one paragraph response to the following question:
9 NAME Oedipus leader
What kind of a leader is Oedipus? Use relevant and specific evidence from the play to support your answer.
CLAIM/TOPIC SENTENCE: Write a claim that states your opinion of Oedipus’s leadership without using words like “I think…,” “I believe…,” “It seems to me…,” etc. Your opinion should be stated as a fact.
EVIDENCE: Find three quotes from the text that support your claim.
REASONING/ANALYSIS: Explain HOW these quotes prove your claim.
The writer begins the response with an opinion stated as a fact. The statement is arguable and relates directly to the question.
The writer provides evidence that is relevant to the claim, appropriately supports the claim and includes specific details.
The writer clearly connects the evidence to the claim. He/she appropriately analyzes how/why the evidence supports the claim.
Response is free of errors in spelling & grammar.
The paragraph has a logical structure with appropriate use of transition words.
We finished our presentations about with whom we each had the strongest connection.
We had our vocabulary poster presentations.
We watched the opening of the play.
Wednesday, January 18
We had our connections party!!!
Tuesday, January 17
Awards ceremony.
Review expectations for party.
Share homework stories in small groups.
Meet with play groups to work on Tragic Hero
presentation.
Write a response to the following question that includes
evidence from your play to support your assertions.
To what extent does the character from your play fit each
of the four aspects of a tragic hero? Please do this
assignment in a Google Doc titled 9 NAME Tragic Hero 1
If one of the following words is yours, be prepared to present your poster on Wednesday:
suppliance
lamentation
blight
beseech
defile
denounce
Monday, January 16
We learned about our new unit, Ancient Greek theater, with the Google doc called Ancient Greek Drama all together
https://docs.google.com/a/lapazschool.org/document/d/1pGq6V9Hk_BEAqoVjHyJXSmgKUZzb-SHuUZV8LmeEs/edit?usp=sharing
We started to prep for our Ancient Greek connections party on Wednesday by pulling an "identity" out of the bowl.
We learned about the Riddle of the Sphinx and the background for Oedipus Rex.
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1iE6eGpYd-1e_cysFrkGnCTtzty0EOCEQ9_MqXM6FoH8/edit
We learned about the Oracle at Delphi by watching a video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NiKpWhFfmQI&t=429s (Only watch to minute 7:09)
The homework is on the Google doc titled 9 NAME Oedipus Oracle video sheet
https://docs.google.com/a/lapazschool.org/document/d/1xAUCHS_4fcyq077tuMuw4mPlkhvcDiIKzMb2lWg5Vzo/edit?usp=sharing
Here is the schedule I have created for our conferences about your text comparison essays. Please email me ASAP if this time doesn't work for you.
Tuesday, Jan. 17 lunch Lionel 12:00 / Camila 12:15
Wedneday, Jan. 18 after school: Isa and Dag
Thursday, Jan. 19 lunch Sibley 12:00 / Ashley 12:15
Thursday, Jan. 19 after school Billie and Alexa
Tuesday, January 24 lunch Anastassia 12:00 / Luis Felipe 12:15
Wednesday, January 25 after school: Noah, Jade and Olivia
Thursday, January 26 lunch Melanie
Friday, January 27 lunch Bernabe
Tuesday, January 31 lunch Rochelle
Thursday, February 2 lunch Felipe
Week of January 9-13: We worked on our plays, finished our posters and performed our plays.
Deadlines:
The final vocab expert posters are due in class on Friday, Jan. 13.
On Monday, January 9, you will rehearse and finalize your play. The goal is for each group to be ready to present on Tuesday. However, because of significant absences, I will be flexible. Each group must be ready to present on Friday in order to receive full credit.
Friday, January 6
We will continue to work on our vocab expert posters and our plays.
For your poster, remember that the objective is to make your classmates really understand your word. So, if there are words that might be confused for your word, or words that seem similar, you want to explain that the section about what the word is NOT. Here are some examples:
If your word were RAT, you might want to say "A rat is NOT a mouse" and explain the difference.
Or, if your word were FLOWER, you would want to explain how it's not FLOUR.
If your word were DISEASE, you might want to explain how it's different from SICKNESS.
If your word were REPRESENT, you might want to explain how it doesn't mean PRESENT AGAIN, which people might think because of the prefix RE.
Consider sentences like...From the definition, you might think _is similar to
_, but they are different because _.
People often confuse this word with
_ but they are different because _.
If you word has exact opposites, you can of course also include those.
Wednesday, January 4
For the first half of class, we worked on the costume, props and music list and plan for responsibilities. If we were ready, we rehearsed our play.
For the second half of class, we worked on this vocabulary assignment that we will continue on Friday:
https://docs.google.com/a/lapazschool.org/document/d/1hedifKqYD5LTaimFRYmUVEEgJrBNkdEffb3Ze50O6rI/edit?usp=sharing
If you were absent today, please email me for your assigned word.
Tuesday, January 3__
Riddle (noun):
a type of question that describes something in adifficult and confusing way and has a clever or funnyanswer, often asked as a game (Cambridge Dictionaries Online)
a mystifying, misleading, or puzzling question posed as a problem to be solved or guessed (Merriam-Webster Dictionary)
Spark: Turn and talk to figure out the answer to this famous riddle: What has an eye but cannot see?
We participated in a riddle scavenger hunt to figure out the answers to these famous riddles:
We worked on making lists for what we need for our skits.
November 24-25 NO SCHOOL- HURRICANE OTTO
November 21-25
This week each group is either working with me on their metaphor essays or writing their play script according to the rules on this Google doc
https://docs.google.com/a/lapazschool.org/document/d/1o2je1AntVfzXK-Baa0BHvbvMr8FX6K9ZOj55LOASl78/edit?usp=sharing
The scripts are due by the last day of school, December 1 at 3pm.
Group Text Comparison Essays are due on Monday, November 21 third period!
In addition to following all instructions on the assignment sheet, the rubric and the example, please make sure to proofread for the following elements of effective writing before submitting your paper.
Here is the definition of propaganda that should be memorized by Monday.
Propaganda is the use of a variety of communication techniques that create an emotional appeal to accept a particular belief or opinion, to adopt a certain behavior or to perform a particular action. There is some disagreement about whether all persuasive communication is propagandistic or whether the propaganda label can only be applied to dishonest messages.
If you completed the Russian Revolution song, rap, or poem, you are exempt from this requirement.
November 15
HOW DO I EMBED A QUOTATION INTO A SENTENCE?
In general, avoid leaving quotes as sentences unto themselves. Even if you have provided some context for the quote, a quote standing alone can disrupt your flow. Take a look at this example:
Hamlet denies Rosencrantz’s claim that thwarted ambition caused his depression. “I could be bounded in a nutshell and count myself a king of infinite space” (Hamlet 2.2).
Standing by itself, the quote’s connection to the preceding sentence is unclear. There are several ways to incorporate a quote more smoothly:
Lead into the quote with a colon.
Hamlet denies Rosencrantz’s claim that thwarted ambition caused his depression: “I could be bounded in a nutshell and count myself a king of infinite space” (Hamlet 2.2).The colon announces that a quote will follow to provide evidence for the sentence’s claim.
Introduce or conclude the quote by attributing it to the speaker. If your attribution precedes the quote, you will need to use a comma after the verb.
Hamlet denies Rosencrantz’s claim that thwarted ambition caused his depression. He states, “I could be bounded in a nutshell and count myself a king of infinite space” (Hamlet 2.2).When faced with a twelve-foot mountain troll, Ron gathers his courage, shouting, “Wingardium Leviosa!” (Rowling, p. 176).
The Pirate King sees an element of regality in their impoverished and dishonest life. “It is, it is a glorious thing/To be a pirate king,” he declares (Pirates of Penzance, 1983).
Interrupt the quote with an attribution to the speaker. Again, you will need to use a comma after the verb, as well as a comma leading into the attribution.
“There is nothing either good or bad,” Hamlet argues, “but thinking makes it so” (Hamlet 2.2).“And death shall be no more,” Donne writes, “Death thou shalt die” (“Death, Be Not Proud,” l. 14).
Dividing the quote may highlight a particular nuance of the quote’s meaning. In the first example, the division calls attention to the two parts of Hamlet’s claim. The first phrase states that nothing is inherently good or bad; the second phrase suggests that our perspective causes things to become good or bad. In the second example, the isolation of “Death thou shalt die” at the end of the sentence draws a reader’s attention to that phrase in particular. As you decide whether or not you want to break up a quote, you should consider the shift in emphasis that the division might create.
Use the words of the quote grammatically within your own sentence.
When Hamlet tells Rosencrantz that he “could be bounded in a nutshell and count [him]self a king of infinite space” (Hamlet2.2), he implies that thwarted ambition did not cause his depression.Ultimately, death holds no power over Donne since in the afterlife, “death shall be no more” (“Death, Be Not Proud,” l. 14).
Note that when you use “that” after the verb that introduces the quote, you no longer need a comma.
The Pirate King argues that “it is, it is a glorious thing/to be a pirate king” (Pirates of Penzance, 1983).
HOW MUCH SHOULD I QUOTE?
As few words as possible. Remember, your paper should primarily contain your own words, so quote only the most pithy and memorable parts of sources. Here are guidelines for selecting quoted material judiciously:Excerpt fragments.
Sometimes, you should quote short fragments, rather than whole sentences. Suppose you interviewed Jane Doe about her reaction to John F. Kennedy’s assassination. She commented:You could quote all of Jane’s comments, but her first three sentences are fairly redundant. You might instead want to quote Jane when she arrives at the ultimate reason for her strong emotions:
Excerpt those fragments carefully!
Quoting the words of others carries a big responsibility. Misquoting misrepresents the ideas of others. Here’s a classic example of a misquote:John Adams did, in fact, write the above words. But if you see those words in context, the meaning changes entirely. Here’s the rest of the quotation:
As you can see from this example, context matters!
This example is from Paul F. Boller, Jr. and John George, They Never Said It: A Book of Fake Quotes, Misquotes, and Misleading Attributions(Oxford University Press, 1989).
http://writingcenter.unc.edu/handouts/quotations/
https://writing.wisc.edu/Handbook/Integrating_Quotes.pdf
There are no assignments due at this time.
November 8-9
We planned and implemented a lesson on propaganda for the 8th grade.
When you are ready to start on your portfolio reflections, here is a list of pieces to choose from.
vocabulary quiz
memorization of definitions of metaphor and allegory
metaphor essay
Russian Revolution song or poem
Reading quiz over Chapters 1-3
Group presentation about Chapter 5-6 questions with connections between Animal Farm and the supplementary texts
Chapter questions from Animal Farm
propaganda project
group text comparison essay
Friday, November 4
We took a break from our text comparison essays to work on the propaganda presentation for 8th grade.
CHANGE OF PLANS: NOTHING IS DUE ON FRIDAY!!!!! If you want to submit a rough draft of the essay, you can, but it is not required.
New schedule:
Friday and Tuesday-Work on Propaganda presentation
Weds in Spanish class time-present propaganda presentation
Weds and Friday--Work on text comparison.
Tuesday and Wednesday, Nov 1-2
We worked on our Animal Farm text comparison essay.
Wednesday, October 26
Content Objective: Students will develop an understanding of the IB paper 2 prompt.
Language Objective: Students will read and annotate an example paper from last year’s 9th grade. Students will speak with each other to analyze the paper.
See the Google doc
9 Animal Farm text comparison essay
Homework due on Friday is to finish the book. There will be a quiz over the last 3 chapters of the book in class Friday, Oct. 28.
Tuesday, October 25
Content Objective: Students will demonstrate mastery of key allegory elements in Animal Farm. Students will analyze a variety of propaganda types in Animal Farm and in Stalin’s Russia, locating textual evidence and images.
Language Objective: Students will speak with their group members to plan a presentation for 8th grade. Students will read excerpts from Animal Farm and Russian history. Students will write analyses of how the text illustrates each propaganda type.
Bingo!
See our Google doc 9 propaganda activity with 8
https://docs.google.com/a/lapazschool.org/document/d/1m2w6drsIGhacil7wPWoIPDD-axnMtTSc-AkyN_7CDNw/edit?usp=sharing
Homework due on Tuesday--Read Chapters 7 and 8.
Wednesday, October 19 and Friday, October 20
Content Objective: Students will demonstrate mastery of their expert group question. Students will make connections between Chapter 6 and our anchor texts.
Language Objective: Students will speak by presenting their expert group information to their peers. Students will write the connections they make between Chapter 6 and the anchor texts. Students will read through close analysis of Chapter 6 and anchor texts.
We rotated in groups to present expert group information and make connections between each part of Chapter 6 and the anchor texts in terms of purpose/audience, content, structure and/or stylistic devices.
We also started an allegory bingo game at the very end of Friday.
Friday, October 14
Students will work on their assigned questions in groups and write their response in MLA format on the shared Google doc created on Wednesday.
Spend plenty of time making your answer thorough, with textual evidence and correctly formatted.
If you finish, please answer these questions in an email titled 9 NAME chapter 5 more.
4. What role does “Four legs good, two legs bad,” play in Napoleon’s propaganda? What is its meaning?
5. “[Squealer] repeated a number of times, ‘Tactics, comrades, tactics!’ skipping round and whisking his tail with a merry laugh. The animals were not certain what the word meant, but Squealer spoke so persuasively, and the three dogs who happened to be with him growled so threateningly, that they accepted his explanation without further questions.” If the animals didn’t understand Squealer’s words, why do you think they accepted his explanation?
6. It was “assumed” that the windmill plans had been rubbed off the floor. How does Orwell use this word to describe the animals’ level of thought? This is the second time the animals have assumed something. What did the animals assume in Chapter III that proved false? How dangerous is it to assume things?
7. Who do Snowball’s plans benefit? Do you believe the windmill will succeed?
Then you may read Chapter 6. It is due on Wednesday, October 19, along with the answers to these questions in an email titled 9 NAME chapter 6 questions
1. In what way is Snowball useful to Napoleon, even though he has been expelled from the farm?
2. How does Orwell show that to be literate, to be able to read and write, is not enough, if you cannot understand the significance of what you have read?
3. Why do you think that Benjamin refuses to "grow enthusiastic" about the windmill?
Wednesday, October 12
In teams, we answered reading comprehension questions about Chapter 4.
We received more in-depth questions about Chapter 5 that we will work on in a jigsaw activity over the next two classes.
Tuesday, October 11
We continued and finished our Academic/Active activity from Friday. We got a preview of our next project, which will be to write a story that is an allegory (political, moral or emotional).
Friday, October 7
Ms. Kenia will be with you for the reading quiz:
Part 1: Choose 2 of the following questions about Chapter 3 and answer them on lined paper.
1. Which animals work the hardest and which exploit the system? Support your answer with examples.
2. Why is the harvest so successful? In what ways do the various animals contribute?
3. Contrast the horses and the pigs. Describe how they are different.
4. Describe Benjamin's attitude toward the rebellion.
5. Compare and contrast Snowball and Napoleon.
6. Why do the pigs say they deserve more than the other animals? Do you agree? Why or why not?
Part 2: Which of the 4 texts did you enjoy the most? Why?
In groups, we participated in an Academic/Active activity. The whole class focused on the same text, but each group pulled a slip out of the envelope that identified their academic task from this list of options:
Analyze the stylistic devices on the Big 5 Google doc chart you created.
Analyze the structure on the Big 5 Google doc chart you created.
Analyze the content on the Big 5 Google doc chart you created.
Analyze the audience/purpose on the Big 5 Google doc chart you created.
Compare or connect the text to Snowball’s speech at the end of Chapter 3
Compare or connect the text to Old Major’s speech in Chapter 1.
Compare or or connect the text to the Seven Commandments in Chapter 2.
In between each academic activity, each group drew a slip of paper out of another envelope that identified an active movement that the group members did while listening to music for 60 seconds.
Homework due Monday: Read or review Chapters 4 and 5 of Animal Farm.
Wednesday, October 5
We received 4 key texts that we will use during our Animal Farm unit: "Dogfish" by Mary Oliver, an excerpt from "The Cure at Troy" by Seamus Heaney, an article from the New York Times about why they delete certain reader comments, and a list of different types of propaganda from PBS.
Homework for Friday: Read through Chapter 3, review all 4 texts and be prepared to take a reading quiz.
Tuesday, October 4
We heard the final 2 performances and a quiz about the
key events, people and issues of the Russian Revolution
Wednesday, September 28
We had our performance celebration of raps, songs, poems and videos to help us remember the key events, people and issues of the Russian Revolution. We provided feedback on our ongoing feedback forms.
On Tuesday, Oct 4, which will be our next class together, we will hear the final 2 performances and a quiz about the
key events, people and issues of the Russian Revolution
Tuesday, September 27
Ms. Amy is in San Jose at a CCP event today.
Today, please:
1) Practice your Russian Revolution rap/song/poem/play if you need to. You will perform them tomorrow on Wednesday.
2) Work on the 9 NAME Prompt Choices for Animal Farm Chapter 1 assignment.
3) Read the last two paragraphs of Chapter 1. (Use the Animal Farm pdf below.)
4) Email me an answer to this question: What elements of the allegory do you see so far? Provide specific examples of characters in the book and who you see that they represent in the Russian Revolution.
5) Read the beginning of Chapter 2, up through the line on p. 15 that ends with "...Beasts of England, with which the meetings always ended." Use the information from this page and a half to continue adding to your document called 9 NAME Animal Farm character chart.
Friday, September 23
Spark: Open the Google doc 9 NAME Animal Farm character chart. Read the first 5 paragraphs of the book and complete the boxes on the chart that you can after reading these paragraphs.
We then engaged in the concentric circles activity to analyze Old Major's speech.
Thursday, September 22
We reviewed our allegory work with The Butter Battle Book, using Bloom's Taxonomy to track our learning.
We watched a Prezi about the key events and people of the Russian Revolution. I presented the challenge assignment of writing a mnemonic song, poem, rap or play to facilitate recall of these key events and people of the Russian Revolution.
I held conferences about metaphor essays while the class worked on their mnemonic devices.
Wednesday, September 21
We finished The Butter Battle Book and worked on the allegory analysis chart on the Google doc titled 9 NAME allegory.
We had conferences about metaphor essays while working on the charts.
Tuesday, September 20
The students presented their memorized definitions of allegory to me.
We read this brief summary of the Cold War.
https://www.eduplace.com/ss/socsci/books/content/ilessons/5/ils_gr5a_u8_c17_l1.pdf
We watched most of The Butter Battle Book, which is an allegory for the Cold War.
Friday, September 15
We reviewed the allegories in Aesop's fables. We worked on our metaphor essays.
Homework: Students need to memorize this definition of allegory for our next class on Tuesday.
An allegory is a story, play, poem, picture or other work in which the characters and events represent particular qualities or ideas that relate to morals, religion or politics.An allegory has been called “a metaphor on steroids” because the author creates a fictional story in which all the elements represent other things with deeper meaning and together deliver an overall message.
Wednesday, September 14
We worked on our metaphor essays. We received the Google doc titled 9 NAME Aesop's fables. Homework due Friday is completion of the tasks explained on this document.
Tuesday, September 13
We worked on our metaphor essays.
Friday--Profe Luis took the class because my car broke down on the way to school. :-(
Wednesday, September 7
Spark: Read the following famous extended metaphor. Turn and talk: What is the overarching metaphor? How does Shakespeare extend it?
“All the world’s a stage, and all the men and women merely players;
They have their exits and their entrances; And one man in his time plays many parts.”
-Shakespeare’s As You Like It
We revisited the bridge essay from yesterday and looked at the extensions at the end. We discussed at how in order to extend a metaphor, one must look at smaller elements of the thing you are using for comparison.
We identified smaller elements of a stage and students wrote their own extensions of Shakespeare's "All the world's a stage" metaphor. They were amazing. We have a garden of geniuses in the 9th grade!
We then pulled up our own lists of characteristics and discussed 2 different ways to begin thinking about our own draft.
Homework for Thursday, even though we don't have class: email me the overarching metaphor you plan to use for this project. 9 NAME metaphor for me idea
Homework for Friday: Work on your first draft. Write directly on the 9 NAME metaphor for me brainstorm Google doc. This doesn't have to be a complete draft, but it must show significant work and thinking.
Tuesday, September 6
Content Objective: Students will review and state their understanding of what makes an effective metaphor. Students will develop an ability to evaluate the effectiveness of a metaphor and an understanding of an extended metaphor.
Language Objective: Students will read and evaluate example metaphors, speak with peers to share ideas and write a list of characteristics.
Spark: What is the purpose of a metaphor? In other words, why would someone use one?
We will discuss the definition of the words effective and evaluate.
Students will evaluate the following metaphors and determine which is most effective:
Life is a flute. It may have many holes and emptiness but if you work on it carefully, it can play magical melodies.
Life is a camera: focus on what is important, capture the good moments, develop from the negatives and if things don’t work out, take another shot.
Life is an echo. What you sent out, comes back. What you give, you get. What you see in others, exists in you.
Life is a roller coaster. You can either scream every time you hit a bump or you can throw your hands up in the air and enjoy it.
We will read two extended metaphor essays and began to discuss how the authors added extensions to the metaphors.
Homework due Wednesday: Fill a page of a Google doc with a brainstormed list of characteristics of you! Title it 9 NAME metaphor for me brainstorm
Friday, September 2
Content Objective: Students will review and deeper their understanding of metaphors. Students will be able to provide feedback about an 8th grader's original metaphor.
Language Objective: Students will read and analyze example metaphors, speak with partners to form and analyze 8th graders' metaphors and write their analysis using growth mindset prompts.
We enjoyed our remaining vocabulary ski.
The spark was to discuss the metaphor "My sadness was a rock on my heart." using these prompts:
1.What two things are being compared?
2.What characteristics do the two things share?
3.What is the purpose of the comparison?
We searched for the clearest definition of metaphor and decided on this one:
Metaphor is a figure of speech which makes an implicit, implied or hidden comparison between two things that are unrelated but share some common characteristics. In other words, a resemblance of two contradictory or different objects is made based on a single or some common characteristics.
After a discussion, pairs of students applied their understanding of the necessary elements of a metaphor to an 8th grader's work, using these prompts:
It was effective...
In order to improve, clarify, and more fully develop the metaphor, consider...
Wednesday, August 31
Students will have 35 minutes to finish and practice their skits.
Groups will perform skits and provide growth mindset feedback for their classmates using their own Google Sheet that we will create in class.
Feedback charts for the three groups that performed today are due by the beginning of class on Friday!
Tuesday, August 30
Content Objective: Students will be able to understand ten new vocabulary words, analyze their use in sentences from Animal Farm and use these vocabulary words in real life situations.
Language Objective: Students will read sentences in which new vocabulary words appear, definitions and other example sentences. Students will speak with peers to match sentences with definitions. Students will write sentences of their own. Students will speak to present their words and sentences to the class. Students will speak with peers to create skit using the words in conversations. Students will write a short skit using the words in a real life situation. Students will speak to perform their skits for the class.
He is a very tractable child so he never gets in trouble but also never gets what he wants.